DB21 Festival

Columbus Day weekend (or, rather, Indigenous People’s Day weekend, as it is officially referred to here in Los Angeles) has come to a close; now we’re looking back on the last couple of days and the performance by The Coredark at the Das Bunker 21st Anniversary event here in our hometown.

“Not many cities in the world can boast as diverse and enthusiastic an audience as does Los Angeles. Even fewer clubs or nights can consistently bring together both artists and fans in such a remarkable and uniquely beautiful environment, atmosphere, and culture. Das Bunker, for 21 years now, has hosted, promoted, and maintained one of the most important celebrations of industrial, electronic, and EBM music and community for people and performers from all over the world.” – Unter Null

I Die:You Die was represented at the event and Alex had some nice things to say about the set (“… really good … really excited to see them … super good … sounds so good live … “) on their We Have A Technical podcast this week. Thanks, Alex! Appropriately, this podcast also includes a lengthy discussion on the cultural significance of Blade Runner … check it out!

Gearing Up

This was the first show with a new four-piece format, so many hours in our rehearsal studio were spent in September and October revising the Ableton rig and set, and prepping drums, percussion, synth sounds and bass effects.

On Stage

It’s not trivial putting a full live electronic band on stage: we don’t use laptops on stage; our Ableton rig runs on a real computer with studio-grade interfaces … this means we need high-quality power (which unfortunately can be a tall order in some venues) … massive problems during sound check (and this is despite the very helpful and well-intentioned venue staff!) meant we had to run back to our shop across town for more heavy-duty power conditioning. The Tripp-Lite Isolator saved the day but even this weighty transformer was not enough to completely hold back all the power gremlins … nonetheless, as Alex from I Die:You Die remarked, “… they made it work … whatever they did, it worked …”

“… it worked … for the most part,” I would add, ’cause it was still a pretty rough set. In any case, we’re looking forward to the next show when we’re not dealing with all the technical problems and can concentrate on playing a set the way it’s supposed to sound …

Winding Down

What better way to follow a show at Bunker than an afternoon screening of Blade Runner at the historic Vista Theatre? Then back to the venue Sunday night to catch a few more acts …

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who came out! And of course John and his staff, and the helpful staff at Union as well. Alex and Bruce from I Die:You Die. And Artifact Corruption, Vore Aurora, HAEX, Grypt and Wire Spine for joining us (and putting up with our somewhat extended sound check) … cheers!